RecruitParents.com Newsletter
a Place to Connect & Share 
In This Issue
What's After Boot
Helicopter Parenting
Semper Fi? Devil Dog?
Survival Tips
Drill Instructor Creed
Confidence and "O" Courses
Every Marine is a Rifleman
Marine Week
Planning for the Trip
Support Your New Recruit
DONATE with every swipe of your card
Parris Island
Graduation Dates 
Visit the Recruit Parents pages on our OPSEC-compliant Marine Family Network. Click your Recruit's graduation date:

 

April 26, 2013 

 

May 3, 2013 

 

May 10, 2013 

 

May 24, 2013 

 

May 31, 2013 

 

June 7, 2013 

 

June 14, 2013 

 

June 28, 2013 

 

July 3, 2013 

 

July 19, 2013 

 

August 2, 2013 

 

August 16, 2013 

 

August 23, 2013 

 

August 30, 2013 

 

San Diego
Graduation Dates 
Visit the Recruit Parents pages on our OPSEC-compliant Marine Family Network. Click your Recruit's graduation date:
We Support
the Following  

 

Recruit Chat Nights 
 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

 

8:00-10:00pm
Central Time

 

For additional information about the Chat Room, click "Enter Chat" below:
 
MarineParents.com Chat Gif 
What's After Boot

 

 

Important links:

 

 


 

Support Marines!
Please take a moment to visit the outreach programs of Marine Parents and support the Marines in service with your son or daughter!

 

Purple Heart Hero Support

 

 

Operation Prayers & Letters

 

 

Care Package Project     

 

Thank You San Diego Kilo Company July 27, 2012!
  Team Marine Parents 

 

 




Shop the EGA Shop! 

Support the organization that supports you! 

 

Shop at the EGA Shop!   Where 100% of the proceeds are used to support the outreach programs of Marine Parents. 

    

Shop at the EGA Shop! Shop at the EGA Shop! Shop at the EGA Shop! Shop at the EGA Shop!   

Newsletter Signup 

 

 

Or just text MARINEPARENTS  to 22828 to sign up!   

 

 

Join Us Online ...

 

 

Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter   View our videos on YouTube  

May 1, 2013
Greetings Recruit Families!

 

Give your Marine some Marine gear...

Congratulations to 2nd Battalion Golf Company of MCRD Parris Island and 3rd Battalion India Company of MCRD San Diego  our newest Marines graduating Friday, May 3rd. Congratulations are also due to 1st Battalion Charlie Company and 4th Battalion Papa Company of Parris Island and 2nd Battalion Echo Company of San Diego, who graduated last Friday, April 26. A big Ooh-Rah goes out to you all!   

For those of you who are just beginning your journey, we would like to WELCOME you and extend our CONGRATULATIONS!

 

You're on a new journey to becoming a Marine Parent. The pride is indescribable, but you may feel you are in an unfamiliar world with a whirlwind of emotions and never-ending questions.
 
We are here to help you find the answers you've been looking for. God bless and Semper Fi!
Helicopter Parenting
Becoming a Marine Parent
 
Helicopter Parenting: Becoming a Marine ParentAs parents we always strive to do what's best for our children. They have been under our care for the past 17+ years and letting go can be difficult.
 
We want to make their transition to U.S. Marine as painless and comfortable as possible, but we must remind ourselves that becoming a Marine is neither painless nor comfortable, and it's not supposed to be.
 
Furthermore, hovering as a parent will not alter the fact that boot camp is challenging and its intensity is necessary.
 
Marine training is an intense thirteen-week experience. It is  reassuring to know that, if your Marine is in a combat situation sometime during the next four years, your child and the buddies to his left and right have been trained by the best to BE the best.
 
Semper Fidelis? Devil Dog?
Learning More About the Corps
 
Devil DogThe Marine Corps has a long and lustrous history dating back to November 10, 1775.

Over the years Marines have adopted the Latin motto "Semper Fidelis" and picked up nicknames like "Devil Dog."
 
From the Marines' Hymn to the famous Eagle, Globe and Anchor emblem, there are so many Marine Corps Must-Knows and so many questions for Recruit Parents to ask:

What does "Semper Fi" mean? Why are Marines called "Devil Dogs"? What are the lyrics of the Marines' Hymn?

We have answers to these questions, and many more, to help you learn more about the Corps.
 
For Marine Corps Motto & Slogans, Click here...
 
For more Marine Corps Must-Know Facts, Click here...
Survival Tips
Information for Recruit Parents
 
Survival Tips for Recruit ParentsWhen your son or daughter leaves for Marine Corps recruit training, you begin a new journey to become a Marine Parent. Though the pride you feel is overwhelming, you may also feel you are in a different world of never-ending questions and ever-changing emotions. We have five very important survival tips for recruit parents, and you'll be glad you know them.
 
1. Write letters-a lot of letters.
Your Recruit is homesick. Very, very homesick. Write lots of letters and then write some more. Keep them upbeat. Send a small photo or two. DO NOT decorate the outside of the envelope with drawings, stickers, or write any text other than the address and your return address (and no spritz of perfume either). Doing so will cause unnecessary attention from the DI, and your recruit does not want to draw the attention of the DI during mail call.
 
Drill Instructor Creed
Marine Corps Recruit Receiving
 
Drill Instructor CreedYour recruit will be introduced to his/her drill instructors for the first time at the end of the first week after arriving in boot camp.
 
Indeed, this is one of the defining moments in the recruit's training. Marines hold their DIs and SDI (Drill Instructors and Senior Drill Instructor) in the highest esteem and treat them with intense respect. Your son or daughter will do the same.
 
How do recruits move from first meeting their DIs to holding them in the highest esteem in just 13 weeks? The drill instructor creed says it all. These are not just words; this is the mindset of every Marine drill instructor with your recruit. The drill instructors sacrifice much to live by this creed and they make sure every recruit EARNS the title "United States Marine".
 
Confidence and "O" Courses
Training Phase I - Getting Started
 
Confidence and O'Courses in Marine Corps BootcampMarine Corps recruits begin running the O'Course and the Confidence Course during the first phase of recruit training.
 
The O'Course, or obstacle course, is a cornerstone of the Combat Conditioning program. The course challenges the recruit's upper body strength and technique on the course.
 
The obstacle course proves that brute strength alone is not enough to quickly negotiate the course, and those recruits that work on technique find the course easier to run.
 
The Confidence Course, as its name implies, is designed to build the self-confidence of the recruit.
 
Every Marine is a Rifleman
Training Phase II - In the Midst 
 
Every Marine is a Rifleman"Every Marine a rifleman," no matter what their Military Occupational Specialty, has been one of the hallmarks of the Marine Corps throughout our history.
 
From the Marine marksmen shooting from the high rigging on ships during the sea battles of the American Revolution, to the battle of Belleau Wood, France in June of 1918 during World War I where Marines hit German targets from more than 500 yards away, to Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, a Marine sniper in Viet Nam with a service record of 93 confirmed kills, we have set ourselves apart by our shooting prowess.
 
To develop those skills recruits will spend two weeks learning how to shoot the Marine Corps way. 
 
Marine Week
Training Phase III - The Final Stretch 
 
Marine Week during Recruit TrainingTraining days 66-69 make up Marine Week; this is the final week of Recruit Training.
 
Marine Week is a period of time in which new Marines learn to operate in a more decentralized environment. After eleven weeks of being told what to do almost every waking moment, this is a chance for them to show their drill instructors what they have learned about small unit leadership, ethics, and core values.
 
They are not recruits any more, they are allowed to wear a watch, they move about the Depot as small units, and are now addressed by their rank and last name, or simply as "Marine."
 
Planning for the Trip
About Boot Camp Graduation
 
Planning for the Trip to the Recruit DepotAs planning for boot camp graduation begins, many recruit parents find themselves overwhelmed by an extensive list of questions and concerns: What do I wear to graduation? What do I need for base access? Can I take photos on The Depot?
 
We know the list of questions can seem never-ending, but RecruitParents.com is here to help as you plan for graduation.  
 
 
Support Your New Recruit
And Join the Team....

 

Marine Corps recruit training is exceptionally difficult. Show your support for your recruit by joining our team. 

Team Marine Parents™ is a group of people who participate in walks, runs, marathons, bicycling, triathlons, swimming, motorcycle rides and other events nationwide.

 

Participate on behalf of Marine Parents in an event of your choice near you.  

 

Many types of events are occurring all the time near you, so start up your own personal boot camp and join TMP. 

 

Click here to join the team...
$5
Off

Save $5 on your order of $50 or more! Share this coupon with your family and friends. Good through midnight tonight! Shop now to save.  

 

Enter Coupon Code at Checkout:

2013Graduation
Valid through midnight central time, Wednesday, May 1, 2013. 
 
DONATE with every swipe of your card!
 

We hope this week's edition of our email newsletter has been useful for you and your family. If there are topics you would like us to address, or if you have other suggestions for the newsletter, please contact us.


The banner used at the top of this newsletter is a March, 2005 USMC photo by Lance Cpl. Joseph L. DiGirolamo. See www.marines.mil for additional credits.

 

MarineParents.com, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity. MarineParents.com, Inc. was founded in January 2003 in response to parents' needs to find information and to have "a place to connect and share"® with one another during deployments. Our free online services and connections have expanded to support and educate Marine moms and dads, spouses, families and friends. We've helped more than 100,000 Marine and recruit families during boot camp, training, active-duty and deployments. We've shipped more than 34,000 care packages overseas to our Marines in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa, sent thousands of prayers and letters to injured Marines and served thousands of meals to wounded heroes and their families on the East and West coasts. You've found "a place to connect and share."®    

God Bless and Semper Fidelis,
Web Signature 

 

 

 


Tracy Della Vecchia
Founder and Executive Director
MarineParents.com, Inc.